Homestead NASCAR: Jeff Gordon's pole, Kevin Harvick tops title pack
Jeff Gordon claimed pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title decider at Homestead, with Kevin Harvick the best of the championship contenders in fifth
Gordon was eliminated from the Chase pack in last weekend's Phoenix race, despite finishing second.
He threw in a lap of 29.876 seconds and 180.747mph in the final moments of the pole shootout at Homestead to topple provisional polesitter and qualifying two pacesetter Kurt Busch by 0.019 seconds, giving Hendrick its 200th pole.
The front two rows are filled with erstwhile title protagonists, as Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski share row two.
Keselowski, another man whose title chance ended at Phoenix, had been quickest in both practice and the first round of qualifying.
Harvick is three places clear of his nearest title rival, with Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch separating his Stewart-Haas Chevrolet from opponents Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano in eighth and ninth.
Ryan Newman, the fourth of the championship combatants, struggled for qualifying speed and will start only 21st.
Follow the NASCAR Sprint Cup title shootout at Homestead as it happens with AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live from 8pm UK time on Sunday night
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.876s | - |
| 2 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 29.895s | 0.019s |
| 3 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.951s | 0.075s |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 30.001s | 0.125s |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 30.009s | 0.133s |
| 6 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 30.068s | 0.192s |
| 7 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.087s | 0.211s |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.109s | 0.233s |
| 9 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 30.124s | 0.248s |
| 10 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 30.156s | 0.280s |
| 11 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.280s | 0.404s |
| 12 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.563s | 0.687s |
| 13 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 30.167s | - |
| 14 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.178s | - |
| 15 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.201s | - |
| 16 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.202s | - |
| 17 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 30.205s | - |
| 18 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 30.235s | - |
| 19 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.235s | - |
| 20 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.256s | - |
| 21 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.296s | - |
| 22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.344s | - |
| 23 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.375s | - |
| 24 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.392s | - |
| 25 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 30.298s | - |
| 26 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 30.314s | - |
| 27 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 30.315s | - |
| 28 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 30.333s | - |
| 29 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 30.390s | - |
| 30 | Brian Scott | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 30.476s | - |
| 31 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.489s | - |
| 32 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 30.496s | - |
| 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 30.622s | - |
| 34 | J.J. Yeley | BK Racing | Toyota | 30.629s | - |
| 35 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.672s | - |
| 36 | Reed Sorenson | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 30.745s | - |
| 37 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | 30.760s | - |
| 38 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 30.773s | - |
| 39 | Michael Annett | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 30.877s | - |
| 40 | Blake Koch | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 30.882s | - |
| 41 | Alex Bowman | BK Racing | Toyota | 30.934s | - |
| 42 | Cole Whitt | Swan Racing | Toyota | 31.009s | - |
| 43 | Brett Moffitt | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 31.069s | - |
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